1
as in curious
interested in what is not one's own business
as we moved into our new home, we could sense that there were prying eyes watching us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in busy
thrusting oneself where one is not welcome or invited
prying neighbors who refuse to mind their own business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in questioning
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in pulling
to raise, move, or pull apart with or as if with a lever
it took some effort to pry up the trap door
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in yanking
to draw out by force or with effort
a vain attempt to pry the cork out of a wine bottle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in interfering
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern
don't go prying into other people's business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prying
Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin, oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2023
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying — and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
The Google Nest Hub (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great smart display with no camera (and therefore no risk of unwanted prying eyes).
—Brenda Stolyar and Medea Giordano, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2022
To my mind, however, there’s a difference between a Google or a Facebook, which provide valuable services in return for their prying eyes, and an app that serves a single, ostensibly benign purpose — parking validation.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2021
Carry two phones While anti-spy software may be effective in staving off the prying eyes of the Chinese government, not everyone knows how to install it.
—Jane Li, Quartz, 6 Aug. 2019
Its purpose: to train librarians to implement secure protocols on their own web services, and to teach members of the community to evade the prying eyes of governments, corporations, and criminal hackers.
—Eoin O'Carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2017
One reason Russians have loaded up on passports is that Cypriot citizenship helps them avoid the prying eyes of their government and pay lower taxes.
—Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg.com, 11 May 2017
Alan Bradley, Space.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Palm Springs Has Still Got It This desert enclave has long been many things at once—a spa town, a sanctuary away from Hollywood's prying eyes, a design capital, a shoo-in for winter sun.
—Jason Sheeler, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2026
But in the quietest corner of the 10-acre sanctuary, away from the public’s prying eyes, a cohort of most unusual occupants sleep.
—Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Videos of the shooting have spread online and appear to show Good, 37, being told to get out of her car, with one agent walking and prying at the door handle.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
That was what led the princess to send her staff away and sneak the BBC crew in for the interview, isolating herself in the face of Bashir’s prying questions.
—Theresa Braine, Mercury News, 26 Nov. 2025
The New Jersey native also teased some new music on the way after some prying from Hudson.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 28 Oct. 2025
The prying end also serves as a nail puller, box cutter and bottle opener.
—Ben Coxworth
october 07, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2025
The film stages its riot of activity as hard-nosed honesty, but its portrait is ultimately as ginned-up and inexact as the fictional news broadcast’s lurid prying.
—Richard Lawson, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026
There’s still all this nonsense about the temptation of the female body, and the need for nuns to shield themselves from prying eyes.
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2026
Both Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim often preferred to train a full session at Carrington on the morning of travelling for a European away, to avoid prying eyes at the hosts’ stadium.
—Mark Critchley, New York Times, 3 May 2026
The attendant and one of the passengers worked together at prying open the baggage compartment door while the other passenger crawled around the floor, searching in the thick smoke for a cellphone to try to use as a flashlight, according to the statement transcripts.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
Reinforce your privacy fence by layering new fencing on top of existing fencing for an extra layer of protection that will help insulate your backyard from noise as well as prying eyes.
—Kristin Hohenadel, The Spruce, 24 Apr. 2026
Most locks resist common workarounds, such as sawing, hammering or prying with a crowbar.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
But will prying eyes across the interwebs ever learn the whole story?
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
There are those who close their social media accounts, those who move to a ranch away from prying eyes, and those who decide to address the issue.
—Alessandra De Tommasi, Vanity Fair, 23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying -- and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin, oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2023
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying — and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
The Google Nest Hub (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great smart display with no camera (and therefore no risk of unwanted prying eyes).
—Brenda Stolyar and Medea Giordano, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2022
To my mind, however, there’s a difference between a Google or a Facebook, which provide valuable services in return for their prying eyes, and an app that serves a single, ostensibly benign purpose — parking validation.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2021
Carry two phones While anti-spy software may be effective in staving off the prying eyes of the Chinese government, not everyone knows how to install it.
—Jane Li, Quartz, 6 Aug. 2019
Its purpose: to train librarians to implement secure protocols on their own web services, and to teach members of the community to evade the prying eyes of governments, corporations, and criminal hackers.
—Eoin O'Carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2017
One reason Russians have loaded up on passports is that Cypriot citizenship helps them avoid the prying eyes of their government and pay lower taxes.
—Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg.com, 11 May 2017
Noun
With that said, the game has managed to rack up an impressive five million sales in under a month, developing a dedicated fanbase that's been probing and prying at the game's engine, with delightful and sometimes unexpected results.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Palm Springs Has Still Got It This desert enclave has long been many things at once—a spa town, a sanctuary away from Hollywood's prying eyes, a design capital, a shoo-in for winter sun.
—Jason Sheeler, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2026
But in the quietest corner of the 10-acre sanctuary, away from the public’s prying eyes, a cohort of most unusual occupants sleep.
—Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Videos of the shooting have spread online and appear to show Good, 37, being told to get out of her car, with one agent walking and prying at the door handle.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
That was what led the princess to send her staff away and sneak the BBC crew in for the interview, isolating herself in the face of Bashir’s prying questions.
—Theresa Braine, Mercury News, 26 Nov. 2025
The New Jersey native also teased some new music on the way after some prying from Hudson.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 28 Oct. 2025
The prying end also serves as a nail puller, box cutter and bottle opener.
—Ben Coxworth
october 07, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2025
The film stages its riot of activity as hard-nosed honesty, but its portrait is ultimately as ginned-up and inexact as the fictional news broadcast’s lurid prying.
—Richard Lawson, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
It’s built with recycled aluminum and features a camera privacy shutter to keep your secret identity safe from prying eyes.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026
There’s still all this nonsense about the temptation of the female body, and the need for nuns to shield themselves from prying eyes.
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2026
Both Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim often preferred to train a full session at Carrington on the morning of travelling for a European away, to avoid prying eyes at the hosts’ stadium.
—Mark Critchley, New York Times, 3 May 2026
The attendant and one of the passengers worked together at prying open the baggage compartment door while the other passenger crawled around the floor, searching in the thick smoke for a cellphone to try to use as a flashlight, according to the statement transcripts.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
Reinforce your privacy fence by layering new fencing on top of existing fencing for an extra layer of protection that will help insulate your backyard from noise as well as prying eyes.
—Kristin Hohenadel, The Spruce, 24 Apr. 2026
Most locks resist common workarounds, such as sawing, hammering or prying with a crowbar.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
But will prying eyes across the interwebs ever learn the whole story?
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
There are those who close their social media accounts, those who move to a ranch away from prying eyes, and those who decide to address the issue.
—Alessandra De Tommasi, Vanity Fair, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prying
Adjective
-
When a parent gets curious about the signal instead of fighting the symptom, the anger becomes a doorway to conversation instead of a wall.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
11 May 2026
-
But Squeeze was kept on a long table by his handlers and could visit longer with curious patrons.—
Karie Angell Luc,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
With his decision made, Kerr will have a busy summer.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
10 May 2026
-
The quick turnaround was a whirlwind for Griffin, who bolted from Westchester to the busy downtown Brooklyn streets.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Israeli naval forces intercepted 22 boats carrying some 175 activists off Crete, boarding vessels, damaging engines and detaining participants for questioning, passengers said.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
-
Then last year’s public questioning of the Astros’ defensive positioning.—
Levi Weaver,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
The same numbers powering that rally show capital pulling further ahead of labor.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
10 May 2026
-
The digital twin created for one of Rajasthan’s largest state utilities mapped 5 million grid assets—poles, lines, transformers, and network infrastructure—by pulling together feeder, meter, and billing data previously stored in separate silos.—
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Essentially, yanking gravity away is another tool, just like temperature or pressure, that drug manufacturers can apply to improve their products.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
-
Now, the Sentinel has learned, Florida is taking an inconsistent approach to cleaning up its mess, yanking the licenses of 47 nurses who attended schools cited by the FBI but allowing others to keep working, even when it has been alerted to their shortcomings.—
Annie Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Several legislative efforts are currently underway to keep the federal government from interfering in California elections.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The pattern of stripes shows that the photon’s two interfering paths are wave-like, also suggesting that a quantum particle behaves much like a wave.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The group, loosely led by inquisitive ginger breed Lily (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and good-natured merino Mopple (Chris O’Dowd) enjoy a peaceful existence, with their favorite pastimes consisting of laying in the grass and listening to George read a nightly murder mystery story.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
8 May 2026
-
As a child, Signe was bright, curious, and inquisitive.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The screams coming from interrogation rooms upstairs became part of daily life.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
11 May 2026
-
The principal remit of the CCCS was interrogation of the mass media and exploration of popular culture and subcultures.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
5 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prying. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
